Lake Leatherwood City Park

Most people come to Lake Leatherwood for the mountain biking or the kayaking, but honestly the whole park works just as well for a laid-back family day. The playground sits right in the middle of it all — forest trails on one side, the lake on the other — so kids aged 3 to 12 have no shortage of things to do once they’re done climbing. Pack a lunch because the picnic tables are actually decent here, and the restrooms are kept clean, which matters more than people admit. If you’ve got older kids with bikes, the dedicated bike track is a genuine draw, not just a loop around a parking lot.